Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. It continues to be a rough ride down Highway No. 7. Kilometres 0 to 20 were scheduled to be chipsealed this summer, and the contract went out to a southern company. The Department of Transportation told me it had done its due diligence and assured me that Fort Liard and other
Northerners would still receive some benefit, even though this contract went south.
In order to secure the contract, the BC company provided certain assurances as to their intention to use services from two northern companies out of Fort Liard. My constituents inform me that this did not occur at all. To date, only one person was hired from the community of Fort Liard; none of the local businesses have seen any economic benefits flowing from this contract award. When we give out contracts to southern companies, we lose important taxation benefits like personal income taxes and fuel taxes that can be flowed back to the Northwest Territories. Also, the community, the whole community, the leadership wanted this contract negotiated, but once again, DOT did not allow that to happen.
Negotiated contracts are designed to help our communities to be sustainable, give them a foot up and to give them work where there’s no work to be had.
Also, when southern contractors make promises, we simply must be doing the weekly checks to ensure that these contractors are fulfilling their obligations to the community and northern businesses, not just saying they are and promise the world and do things differently once the contract is signed.
This seems to happen time and time again in the North, and we must stop. We may not be able to prevent vehicles from breaking down on this infamous highway, but this is the kind of breakdown we can’t even blame on permafrost.
I strongly recommend that this government carefully monitor contracting practices, especially when it comes to southern companies. We want to do business in the North and build capacity for local businesses. Thank you very much. Mahsi.